UCETIA
(Uzès) Gard, France.
Situated
25 km N of Nîmes, on the Alzon, a tributary of the
Gardon, this oppidum, whose ancient name is known
from inscriptions (
CIL XII, 3362), should be identified
as one of the 24 heavily populated oppida of the Volcae
Arecomici, which under the Early Empire still formed
a confederation with Nemausus as its capital (
Strab.
4.1.12;
Plin. 3.37).
The pre-Roman and Roman towns are covered by the
modern city, but construction work continues to turn
up chance architectural remains and especially inscriptions. In the environs of Uzès are found the Airan and
Eure springs (Ura fons), which supplied Nîmes with
its water by way of an aqueduct; numerous vestiges of it
remain, such as the famous segment known as the Pont-du-Gard. There is a local archaeological museum.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Carte archéologique de la Gaule romaine, fasc. VIII, Gard (1941) 166-70, nos. 198-99, 160-62, no. 179;
RE 8 A1 (1955) col. 547.
G. BARRUOL